Wherever You Will Go
by moviebuffgirl
Summary: A collection of Loki x Sigyn - occasional Loki, Hel, and/or Narfi stories - one-shot stories that take place within the "Thor" and "Avengers" universe. Not related to each other in any way; each is a stand-alone one-shot.
1. Beauty and the Beast

Midgard was different than she supposed. Sigyn felt like an insignificant ant as she made her way down the street that was now in chaos. Despite the dangers the Chitauri posed, Sigyn flew past the Midgardians and inside the glass-covered tower where Loki was.

She could feel her husband's distress, could feel his heart thud painfully in his chest as he was thrown like a rag doll across the room. Sigyn bit back a scream as she flew up the stairs, ignoring the cries of surprise as she pushed back several Midgardians who were running for cover.

As she reached the topmost floor, she saw a green, hulking being stomp his way down the hallway towards her.

Sigyn stopped dead in her tracks, and the monster did the same.

"What have you done?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing. The baby inside of her kicked against her belly, as if it were sharing her anger.

The monster didn't reply; instead it gave a loud grunt and turned away from her.

"Tell me!" she screamed, raising her hand. A powerful bolt of energy shot from her palm, slamming onto the monster's back.

That caught the Hulk's attention, and he turned and growled menacingly at her. Sigyn stood her ground and placed her hand over her belly. She certainly wouldn't let this monster harm her husband or anyone dear to her.

"What have you done?" she repeated, her voice turning deadly.

"Puny god," the Hulk answered. "But you even smaller."

The Hulk balled his thick green hands into fists and prepared to rush at her. Before the Hulk could charge at her however, another powerful energy beam blasted the Hulk through the concrete wall.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Loki stepped out of the office, his armor lined with dirt and rubble and his hair disheveled. "Touch my wife, you pitiful creature, and I shall make sure you will never see daylight again."

The Hulk roared, leaping to its feet, but this time it was Sigyn who blasted the Hulk, sending the green monster flying out of the building.

"Sigyn," Loki said, lowering his sceptre to his side. All ferocity was gone from his face, and it was replaced with worry and concern. "You should not have come."

"I told you, my love, where you go, I go. My son needs his father," Sigyn answered, pressing a kiss to her husband's lips. Loki smiled and rested his hand on the bump of her belly, chuckling softly as the baby responded to his touch.

"You cannot stay," Loki insisted. "I cannot fulfill my mission if I am worried about your welfare."

Sigyn looked at him with a determined gleam in her eye. "In case you have forgotten, my love, _I_ was the one who defeated you in all of our sparring sessions. I can take care of myself."

Loki clicked his tongue in disapproval, but he knew better than to argue with his wife. He was genuinely concerned for her safety and the safety of his child, but when Sigyn transformed into her battle armor (which was similar to his, except that it had a bodice and leather shorts), he knew she meant business.

Together they stepped out of Tony Stark's rooftop suite and towards the Tesseract.

They had a world to conquer.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry if I made the Hulk seem like a brute, but I was writing this with Sigyn's POV in mind. And boy was she angry. :))**


	2. Her Little Secret

"Tell me you love me."

"I love you."

Loki smiled seductively at his new bride. Sigyn looked only sixteen (by Midgardian standards), but she had been alive for decades. Still, she was much younger than Loki, who had been born two centuries previously.

But that didn't stop this lithe blonde girl from falling for him - hard. The moment the two had seen each other in Asgard, they were inseparable. Freya, Sigyn's mother, was dismayed to learn that her youngest daughter had falled in love with the God of Mischief, but had learned to accept it.

Loki could only imagine how worried his mother-in-law (not that she knew that they were already married) was. Word had certainly reached the All-Father of Sigyn's travel to Midgard in an attempt to locate her husband, and Loki knew what consequences Sigyn's actions would mean.

Banishment, at the very least.

"They can banish me to the coldest regions of the cosmos and I still wouldn't care," Sigyn had whispered in his ear. "As long as you're with me, I can face the All-Father without fear."

How he loved her.

Loki loved the very feel of her smooth skin beneath his hands, how her body molded perfectly to fit his. He loved how she whispered his name; whispers that were full of longing, love, and lust.

Even now, as they slipped into the museum where Loki's main target was, it took every ounce of control he had not to make love to her. What made it even more difficult was the dress that Sigyn wore: a Midgardian creation of light green silk that clung to her body like a slippery second skin. Her fair hair fell in tousled waves, making it seem as if she had simply rolled out of bed after hours of passionate lovemaking.

"Do what you have to do, Loki," Sigyn purred, giving his earlobe a soft nibble.

It sent waves of pleasure down his body, and he chuckled softly and turned his head towards her. "And it does not bother you one bit to know that I am about to...manhandle a Midgardian?"

"No." Sigyn smiled. "I would do it myself, but I have a reputation to uphold."

"Oh? And what reputation would that be? As a naughty goddess of Asgard?" Loki gave in a little to his desires and pulled her closer to him, covering her mouth with his.

Sigyn curled her finger around a lock of his hair, while her other hand slipped inside his coat and clung to his shirt.

"Only you have seen that side of me, my love," Sigyn answered, smiling coyly. "Now go. The good doctor is waiting."

Loki pulled away from her with great effort and walked down the stairs. He could hear her following him and he twirled his sceptre (which he had made to look like a gold walking stick) as he reached one of the Midgardian guards. Before the guard could react, he slammed the sceptre against the side of the guard's head, sending him sprawling on the floor.

The other Midgardians had seen this little display, and a few females screamed and rushed for the exits. In the midst of the chaos, Sigyn slipped through the crowd and laid a restraining hand on the shoulder of her husband's target.

"I wouldn't run if I were you," Sigyn said, and she saw that the man's eyes were full of fear.

"What are you going to do?" the man asked in his native tongue.

Sigyn just kept on smiling. Her Asgardian strength prevented the man from running, and soon Loki was upon them both. He seized the man by his collar and flipped him easily onto a concrete slab. With one hand he extracted a silver tool, and with a jerk of his wrist sent the device whirring. Loki looked at Sigyn briefly to see her watch him with a mildly amused look on her face.

With a sinister smile, he plunged the device deep into the doctor's right eye, which further sent the crowd into a panicked frenzy. Once Loki had received a complete scan of the man's eye, he withdrew the device and handed it to Sigyn, who used her magic to conceal it. Together they made their way outside, changing back to their Asgardian clothes as they walked.

"Stay here," Loki told her, and Sigyn stopped just before the huge doors. She watched as her husband commanded the Midgardians to kneel before him.

Sigyn ran her hand down her flat belly, smiling as she felt her child – Loki's child – continue to grow inside of her. The knowledge that she was carrying the child of a Frost Giant did not faze her one bit; rather, it made her feel closer to her husband than she ever imagined.

Now the question that remained was: how to tell him.


	3. When Friendship Ends and Love Begins

Loki peeked out from behind his mother, finally looking up at her.

"Loki, don't be shy," Frigga said, smiling at him. "This is Freya, your father's cousin."

Freya was very pretty, with hair that fell just past her shoulders. Her light blue gown rustled as she moved towards him, holding out her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Loki."

Loki ducked behind his mother again, still clutching Frigga's skirts.

Frigga laughed softly. "Loki's normally very talkative, Freya."

"I see. He reminds me of my Sigyn," Freya replied, as the two women walked down the garden path. Loki followed them, his small hand holding onto Frigga.

"How is Sigyn?" Frigga asked. "She's Loki's age, isn't she?"

"Yes. She's with her father and brothers, but I do believe they'll be back soon." Freya glanced at the little boy standing behind her cousin's wife and smiled. "Doesn't he play with his brother?"

Frigga shook her head. "Thor has other responsibilities now. I fear Loki feels...left out."

"Well I can't have my cousin's son feel lonely now, can I?" Freya touched Loki's shoulder, who blushed. "You must meet my daughter, Sigyn."

Loki didn't reply, but instead ducked his head even lower. Frigga ran a hand down her son's hair, smoothening the strands that were flipping up at the ends. The two women then lapsed into quiet conversation, leaving Loki to amuse himself by plucking a few flowers from the bushes nearby. He was so busy pulling the petals off a particularly nice pink flower that he failed to notice a girl come up to him.

"That's not very nice," a small voice said from somewhere behind him. Loki turned around and saw a girl who was a few inches shorter than him. His eyes widened, and for the first time since he arrived in Freya's garden, he spoke.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, my name's Sigyn," the girl replied, taking the flower that Loki had clutched in his hand. "And you must be Loki. Father said that you were going to visit us."

Loki blinked. "I'm not going to play with you."

Sigyn shrugged, her curls bouncing as she did so. "It's okay. I have other brothers who I can play with."

"But my brother is the crown prince," Loki boasted.

"But he doesn't play with you, does he?" Sigyn argued. Loki frowned, and Sigyn's smug expression changed into one of horror. "Oh, I didn't mean to offend you!"

"Still you did," Loki muttered. He could feel tears welling in his eyes, and he turned away so that she wouldn't see.

"I'm sorry," Sigyn said softly. "I was lying. My brother's don't really like to play with me. They're all grown up, so they don't really like being with me."

Loki turned his head towards her, looking at her warily. "Are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

"No, I'm not." Sigyn bit her lip and looked at Loki. "You really aren't going to play with me, are you?"

Loki paused. He wasn't sure if he liked Sigyn, but he was feeling lonely. Maybe playing with her wouldn't be so bad. "I think I will."

The two little Asgardians spent the rest of the afternoon running around the garden, playing all sorts of games. When Sigyn suggested that they pretend that Loki was a mighty warrior and Sigyn was a princess who needed saving, Loki frowned.

"Do I look like a warrior to you?" he asked scornfully.

"You don't have to be huge to be a warrior," Sigyn answered. "I think those bulky warriors are scary. You'll make an excellent warrior, with your magic and all."

Loki doubted it, but he played along anyway. He soon found himself liking Sigyn, thinking that she was different from the other girls who always giggled whenever they saw his brother walk down the hallway.

When the time came for Loki and Frigga to return to the palace, Sigyn looked sad. Freya noticed her daughter's distress, which was mirrored on Loki's face.

"We'll see each other again," Loki promised her. "I will rescue you from the fierce Frost Giants and bring you to a place where you'll be happy."

"_We'll_ be happy," Sigyn corrected him in a low voice.

Loki nodded. "Yes. We."

Frigga and Freya heard this little exchange and gave each other knowing glances.

Although it was years before Loki and Sigyn met each other again, the impact that they made on each other that afternoon stayed with them all those years that they were apart.

But of course, that is a story for another time.


	4. The Importance of Family

"Papa!"

Little Hel flew down the hallway, her long black hair streaming behind her. Her older brother, Narfi, followed at a more dignified pace, his hands clasped behind his back.

Loki, the God of Mischief, broke away from his brother Thor and crouched down, spreading his arms. Hel threw herself into her father's arms, laughing. "I missed you, Papa!"

"And I missed you, my little Hel," Loki replied, carrying his youngest child in his arms. He spotted his firstborn and gave a thin smile. "Narfi."

"Father." Narfi was a blonde version of Loki, but the similarities ended there. Where Loki was known as the God of Mischief, Narfi was quickly shaping up to be a fierce fighter. His Jotunn blood had given him a rather fiery temper and a skilled hand at fighting.

Despite their differences, father and son were rather close, but Narfi admittedly had a slight Oedipus complex and spent most of his time with his mother, Sigyn.

"Papa, you promised to tell me all about your visit to Midgard!" Hel was the apple of her father's eye, and everyone knew how fond Loki was of his daughter. Unlike her brother, Hel had her father's dark hair and mischievous nature. She loved nothing more than to play pranks on her older brother, but she was careful never to pull harmful jokes.

"I'm sorry my love," Loki said, setting Hel down on the ground. "Let me greet your mother first, and then I'll tell you everything."

Hel nodded and followed her father and brother to Sigyn's chambers. Sigyn, the Goddess of Fidelity, was sitting in front of her dresser combing her hair. When she saw her husband and children behind her, however, she put the brush down and stood.

"Loki." Sigyn ran to her husband, sliding her arms around his neck. The small bulge of her stomach pressed against Loki's torso, showing him how much their third child had grown during the few weeks he had spent in Midgard with Thor and the other Avengers. "I've missed you so."

Narfi led his little sister to the next room, giving Loki and Sigyn time to be together alone.

Sigyn kissed her husband, feeling his hand rest protectively on her belly. "How are they?"

"The Avengers live to fight another day," Loki answered. He had been forced to join forces with his brother and the Avengers after Thanos kidnapped Sigyn and threatened her life if he (Loki) did not relinquish the Casket of Ancient Winters to him. But now he had Sigyn back, and Loki became an "optional" member of the Avengers.

The irony of this amused him to no end, but they _had_ helped him get his wife back. He supposed it was only fair that he return the favor.

"Mother believes this to be a boy," Sigyn said as they joined their children.

Narfi was twirling a dagger absent-mindedly in his hand, while Hel put her father's horned golden helmet on her head.

"Papa how do I look?" Hel asked, turning towards Loki.

Loki and Sigyn laughed softly. Loki reached over and pulled his helmet off of Hel's head, and she stared at him, blinking.

"I prefer you without the helmet, little Hel," Loki replied.

Hel pouted a little. "But I want a helmet like you and Narfi!"

"We will get you one when you're older, darling," Sigyn promised, placing her hand over Loki's, which was still on her belly. "But not now. You are still your father's little girl."

"I will _always_ be his little girl," Hel declared. "Even if I get married and have lots and lots of children, I will still be Papa's girl."

Loki gave a low chuckle. "Yes, that will never change."

The door opened and Thor walked in, followed by Sif and Volstagg, who was carrying a tray of food. "Brother, the All-Father requests our presence."

Hel frowned. She knew that whenever her father was being summoned to Odin's presence, he was either in trouble or about to be sent to another realm. But she remained silent, even standing to kiss her father on the cheek.

"I love you," Loki whispered to Sigyn, who responded by kissing him on the mouth. Narfi hugged his father before the latter joined Thor and Sif; Volstagg lingered just long enough to place the tray he was carrying on the table.

"What is all this about?" Loki asked his brother as they made their way to Odin's chambers. "I thought we had banished Thanos for good."

"It's not Thanos." Thor held Mjolnir tight. "It seems a god of War is threatening Midgard with death and destruction."

"Such a lethal combination," Loki commented, stepping inside Odin's chambers.

Their orders were plain and simple: travel back to Midgard and deal with the threat Ares posed to the Midgardians. Loki tried not to think of the fact that he would have to leave his family behind again, but he had no choice.

Of course there was no other alternative for him but to win.

Loki had too much to live for.

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, this is probably my favorite out of all the stories here (so far). Seeing Loki with his kids is just...priceless. :) Got any feedback? I'd love to hear from you guys! :D **


	5. Fill Me With Your Poison

Her voice broke through his pain, made him open his eyes and look at her.

"Stay with me," she begged, her hand clasping his tightly. "Don't leave me alone, Loki."

Loki struggled to move, but the poison slipped into his skin and sent burning rivers through his body. This was his punishment, his fate. All the crimes he had done were for her, and yet they had chosen to punish him.

Odin, Thor, Frigga... all of them were gone.

Except her.

Only her.

Loki fought against the chains that bound him and turned his head towards her. The more he fixed his gaze on Sigyn's face, the pain lessened until he could feel it no more.

"I will never leave you," he whispered, his mouth feeling drier than the deserts in Midgard. "I will always be with you."

Another drop of poison slipped from the serpent and onto Loki's skin. He would never show weakness, not in front of her.

Sigyn moved closer to him, finally summoning a metal bowl using her magic. Silently she held it under the dripping poison and watched as it slowly collected.

"Sigyn don't," Loki said, realizing what she was doing. "If they learn that you've helped me, they'll kill you."

Sigyn didn't reply; she merely stroked his hand as a comforting gesture. Loki savored the brief respite from the pain the poison brought, but when the bowl was full Sigyn had no choice but to remove it from above him, making him vulnerable to the poison once more.

But Sigyn never left his side; she dutifully held the bowl above him, protecting him from the poison as much as she could. When Odin arrived, it was to see husband and wife sitting in the grove where he had sent Loki.

"Why do you defy my orders?" Odin demanded. "You know you could be banished for this."

"I promised to stay with him no matter what," Sigyn murmured. "No matter what he has done, All-Father, he is still my husband and the father of my children. I will endure a thousand tortures just for his sake."

Loki turned his head towards the man who raised him, his expression blank. His only concern was for Sigyn, but the All-Father wasn't too eager to sentence her for something related to her status.

The Goddess of Fidelity.


	6. Hel Hath No Fury

Loki glanced at the fuming form striding beside him.

Hel's long black hair - a trait she inherited from him - flew behind her like a silky black cape. Her eyes flashed red, signifying her part Jotunn lineage, and her shoulders were tense. Hel was only eighteen, but she was already a formidable fighter. Hel was the only thing Loki had left of Sigyn, who had tragically died during childbirth. Loki had become fiercely protective of his daughter, and she of him.

Hel looked so much like Sigyn, but she shared her father's dark, tragic personality.

"There he is, Father," Hel replied, her eyes changing into a deep shade of blue. "He must not escape."

"Do not worry, my dear," Loki assured her, gripping his scepter tightly. "He won't."

Hel's burgundy dress rippled as she walked, her stride purposeful and her expression haughty and confident. Loki followed her, chuckling as the guard on duty, distracted by his daughter's curves, failed to notice his approach. When he did, it was too late; Loki smashed his scepter agains thte side of the guard's head.

Hel walked through the crowd, finally sliding her thin fingers on her target's shoulder. The Midgardian doctor was busy speaking to a group of well-dressed Midgardians, but he stopped and turned towards Hel, surprised.

"_What do you want_?" he asked in German. Hel, who was well-versed in fifty languages, understood.

"_Just your eye_," she responded, hearing her father come up behind her.

Before the man had time to react, Hel took the device Loki had in his hands and slammed it onto the man's eye. Screams echoed around them, but Loki and Hel were too absorbed in scanning the Midgardian's eye.

"That is enough, Hel," Loki finally said, and Hel hesitantly pulled the device away. The man lay still; he was dead.

Hel smirked and walked after Loki, who was transforming into his green and gold armor. His horned helmet appeared last, and Hel felt her regular Asgardian clothes (black and red armor) cover her body. In her hand was a silver stick, which she could use to elongate into a spear or extract a very fine but sharp metal whip.

Loki was addressing the Midgardians, who were surrounded by Loki's clones.

"I said KNEEL!" Loki exclaimed, and the frightened Midgardians slowly fell to their knees.

Hel stood a few feet from her father, her hair rippling in the breeze. When the Avengers came, Loki faced Steve Rogers, while Hel battled Tony Stark.

"You're a little too young to be fighting, aren't you sweetie?" Tony asked when he saw Hel for the first time. "Why don't you leave this to the...ooof!"

Hel had used her telekinesis to throw Tony across the parking lot. His iron suit sent sparks flying, but the Avenger recovered quickly. "You were saying?"

"Okay, if that's how you want to play it," Tony muttered. Hel managed to dodge most of his blows, but when she heard her father grunt in pain, she became distracted just enough for Tony to land a beam of energy in her midsection.

Hel's eyes bulged, and she looked down at the slight scorch marks on her stomach, which healed in seconds. Frowning, she lashed out at Tony using her whip, nearly cutting the reactor in half. Before she could run to her father, however, Steve raised his shield and flung it at her, knocking her down.

"Leave her out of this," Loki hissed.

"She made her choice," Steve answered. "Come with us peacefully, and he will not be harmed."

Hel's eyes latched on to Steve, turning a fiery red. Steve stepped back, surprised.

"I will hurt you for this," she vowed, her Jotunn temper filling her very being. "I will make you pay for what you have done to him." Her eyes flickered to her father, who gave her the subtlest of nods.

"Steve, restrain her!" Tony noticed the significant exchange between Loki and Hel, but his warning came too late.

Hel vanished, leaving only a few wisps of blue smoke.


	7. Two Men And A Baby

"Brother, I wish to speak with you."

Thor approached Loki, who was hunched over the couch. His brother made no move to show that he had heard Thor, and the God of Thunder frowned.

"What is it that occupies you so?" Thor moved towards Loki, who turned his head slowly.

"Your niece."

To prove his point, Loki shifted his position slightly to show the baby lying in the middle of a nest of pillows, which Loki undoubtedly had prepared. The baby, sensing Loki slowly moving away, gave a soft cry.

"I did not see her," Thor said, his eyes widening.

"Of course not. You simply came barreling in the room without knocking." Loki tried to keep the disdain from his voice, but it was difficult. He had spent hours doing all sorts of tricks just to amuse his daughter and make her fall asleep, and his oaf of a brother had woken her in seconds flat with those thundering footfalls of his.

"So you have been assigned with babysitting duty," Thor teased, grinning. He set Mjolnir gently on the floor and sat on the pouf close to the couch. "How long until Sigyn returns?"

Loki shrugged. "Too long for my taste. You know I'm not fit to care for a child."

"We could ask Sif to help," Thor suggested, but he knew Sif was never the maternal type. She probably might end up training the baby when Thor and Loki had their backs turned.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "I did not think Sif was the maternal sort."

The baby, whom Loki had taken to call his 'little Hel', wriggled and kicked at the blankets that covered her. Loki sighed and covered Hel's lower body with the blanket, only for her to kick it away again.

"Hel," he scolded gently. The baby looked at him and blinked before giggling.

"It seems she likes to tease her father," Thor commented.

"Apparently so," Loki agreed, as Hel managed to kick several pillows off the couch. "What was it that you wished to talk to me about?"

Thor paused as he watched little Hel reach for Loki, her chubby fingers opening and closing on empty air. "The Midgardians require our assistance."

"_Your_ assistance, perhaps. Not mine," Loki corrected him. "As much as the memory pains me, brother, the last time I was in their realm was to subjugate it. I do not think they would be particularly happy to see me once more."

"On the contrary," Thor said, noticing that Hel had managed to grasp Loki's finger. "They asked for you and me, specifically. They have heard how you have...changed."

"I have not changed a bit," Loki argued. "I merely became a father."

"And that is all the change they need."

Loki looked at Thor, finally bending to Hel's wishes and carrying her in his arms. "Then they would know that I have no desire to leave my child alone. My wife will return from Svartalheim I know not when, and I do not-"

"Then bring her with us."

Loki blinked. "You're mad. Raise my child in Midgard? Sigyn would not stand for it."

"She would understand, considering I've sent a messenger to her," Thor informed him. "And she is all for the idea."

Loki pulled Hel away and held her in front of him. "Your uncle wishes you to come with us, my little Hel. Do you wish to visit Midgard?"

Hel swiped at Loki's face and cooed softly. Thor chuckled. "She says 'yes'."

"I still do not like the idea of bringing her with me. Who is to care for her?"

"The Midgardians are skilled at taking care of children. She'll be in good hands," Thor said reassuringly.

"And the fact that she may be used as a pawn against us has never occured to you?"

Thor's face darkened. "They wouldn't dare."

"If it means defeating us, they would."

"Use your magic to protect the child, then."

"And I thought you had no faith in my abilities."

Thor looked at Loki wryly. "Loki, it is for the good of the realm."

"What is? Putting my child in danger?"

Thor frowned slightly. It was difficult to argue with Loki, who seemed to have an arsenal of snappy comebacks at his command.

"You will not leave your child here, nor will you bring her with you. What do you plan to do?" Thor finally asked.

"Is my presence that crucial to the mission?" Loki conjured a milk bottle and handed it to the mewling baby. "I am certain your precious Avengers can handle it."

Thor stood up and went over to the balcony. "The enemy will strike Midgard first, and once the realm is destroyed, he will come here. Once he does, what then? All of our lives are in danger, Loki. If we stop him in Midgard, then everyone - including Hel - will be safe."

Loki paused, considering the options. He hardly liked the idea of bringing Hel to Midgard, but Thor was right. Finally...

"Very well. We will go. But to make things clear: I am only doing this for Hel. Not for you, and certainly not for your beloved Midgard."

Thor smiled. "I expected no less from you. We leave in an hour."

After Thor left, Loki looked at Hel, who was looking sleepy from the milk. "It seems you and I are in for a rather big adventure, my little Hel."


	8. Hide and Seek

**Author's Note: I know for the past few stories I've been saying Hel is Loki and Sigyn's daughter (which isn't true). I just painted her as such because I want the two of them to have a little girl. = I hope you've been enjoying the past few stories! =D Okay, on to this one.**

* * *

Loki was worried.

He'd risen from bed only to find that the space normally occupied by his child, Hel, was empty. Since Hel was only a few months old, she couldn't have gotten up and walked away on her own.

_Sigyn will kill me_, Loki thought, as he strode down the hallway. His green cape swept the floor behind him, but Loki didn't notice. He just had to find Hel before Sigyn returned from her parents home, and he certainly did not want to tell her that he had lost their firstborn.

"Blast it all," Loki muttered, running a hand through his unkempt hair. He hadn't bothered with the usual morning cleansing rituals; once he learned that Hel was not in his room, he had simply thrown on his usual green and gold armor and started the search for his impish child.

Even though she was only a few months old, Hel was prone to playing tricks on everyone she came in contact with. She especially loved tricking Volstagg, who bellowed like a bull whenever he fell for one of her tricks.

"She has certainly inherited your magic and your nature, Loki," Frigga had told him one night as she carried the sleeping baby in her arms. "Now you know how your father and I felt when you were young."

Despite the worry that now ate away at him, Loki felt a flash of pride. Hel was the first person who he knew truly belonged to him - who was truly a part of him. Although Hel hadn't shown any signs of inheriting his Jotunn blood, the thought of having a blue Jotunn baby didn't deter the other Asgardians from considering Hel as their princess.

Loki saw Thor walking out of the great hall and hurried towards him.

"Thor," he called, and the God of Thunder stopped and turned to him.

"Brother. You look troubled," Thor said. "What is it?"

"Have you seen Hel?"

Thor shook his head. "Isn't she with you?"

"Apparently not," Loki replied through his teeth. His brother could be an idiot sometimes. "If you see her make sure to bring her to me."

"Of course."

Thor left, and Loki entered the great hall, in the hopes of finding someone who knew where his child was. But neither Volstagg, Sif, or Fandral had seen Hel. Loki gave a sigh of frustration.

"She'll show up eventually," Sif assured Loki, who didn't look convinced. "When is Sigyn arriving?"

"Today," Loki answered shortly.

"Oh." Sif's eyes widened. "Oh. Well...you would do well to find Hel before she arrives."

Loki nodded once and left, his boots thudding on the floor. He even checked with the other guards, who claimed that they hadn't seen Hel since last night. His annoyance vanishing, Loki now felt a stab of worry. If Hel was playing a prank on him, she would not have let it gone on for this long. Perhaps she had been kidnapped.

_I'll kill whoever harms her_, Loki thought viciously, walking out into the garden.

"Loki?"

Loki turned and saw Sigyn striding up and garden path. She looked lovely with a string of pearls in her hair, which fell in loose curls down her back.

"Sigyn," Loki said, enveloping her in his arms. Her familiar scent - lilies - invaded his nose and comforted him immediately. Sigyn must have sensed his worry, for she pulled away from him and stared deep in his eyes.

"Something troubles you, my love. What is it?" she asked.

"I..." Loki hesitated. How should he say this?

_I cannot locate our only child, and I fear she may have been kidnapped_.

It sounded stupid, even in his head.

"Is it Hel?" Sigyn's voice became strained. "Has something happened?"

Loki opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a noise.

"Sigyn," the All Father greeted, walking out of the garden maze. "Welcome home."

In his arms he carried Hel, who was grasping the stems of several white lilies and smiling innocently. Loki frowned slightly, but Sigyn was distracted by the sight of her daughter to notice.

"All Father," Sigyn greeted, smiling as the All Father gave her a kiss on the cheek and handing her Hel. "Are these for me? Thank you my love."

Sigyn took the flowers from Hel and inhaled them deeply. Hel turned her head towards Loki, who was torn between scolding the child and hugging her in relief. Hel giggled softly at the look on Loki's face and Sigyn walked towards him.

"Are you alright?" she asked as Hel reached for Loki's collar. "You seemed...annoyed."

"No, it is nothing," Loki assured her, while Hel looked up at him and laughed. "I was about to get some flowers for you, but it seems Hel and the All Father had the same idea."

Sigyn smiled, and Loki noticed that the All Father was looking at him in amusement.

_Apparently someone wanted to play a little hide and seek_, Loki thought, catching Hel's eye as the family walked back to the palace.


End file.
